I’ve pretty much always enjoyed live shows and live recordings over studio albums, which can often sound too stylised and over-engineered to my ears. Just ask yourself whether there would ever have been such a following for the Grateful Dead if all we had were the studio recordings. It’s really a case of ‘you had…
“Very superstitious….” Who sang “Is This A Kind Of Magic”? Lord Voldemort Who sang “Somebody’s Watching Me”? Marvin The Paranoid Android. Why do we blow out birthday candles? So we can use them again next year. Why do we associate red and green with Christmas? Because of our proud tradition of making life as difficult…
This one comes from 12 June 2014, since when it has amassed no fewer than five views, so don’t talk to me about going viral. It is a perhaps useful insight into the mind of a still unrepentant grammar pedant. Laying Down The Law You may have seen that the State opening of Parliament took…
When I saw this week’s Song Lyric Sunday prompt – the final song ever played – two possibilities sprung immediately to mind. The first was the Grateful Dead’s ‘Box of Rain’ from their last show, at Soldier Field in 1995, but I’ve already used that for a different prompt some years back. But the second…
A miscellany of mensonges (that’s the French word for ‘lies’. No, really) 1] Which country has the largest number of Spanish speakers? I don’t know. Why can’t they just speak English like the rest of us? 2] Name the first computer virus WTF? 3] Name the highest paid athlete in 2023 Mohammed Salah. And if…
This was originally posted on 9th June 2017. By this time my blogging mojo was in decline, with my posts pretty well confined to contributions to ‘Song Lyric Sunday,’ although with the occasional flash of what I choose to call inspiration, of which this is a rare example. Is This Normal? Ask a silly question…
This week’s Song Lyric Sunday theme kicks off an interesting three-week sequence. Next week we need to find the final song ever played, and on the following Sunday, something from a live album. This week, however, the task is to feature a song from a final album. In 2007, the mighty Led Zeppelin (with the…
I wish they’d said that… “Lions, and tigers, and bears! Oh, my!” – Sir David Attenborough “Shut up – you had me at ‘hello.’” – Lionel Richie “Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?” – A bemused diner at a Chinese banquet “I’ll have what she’s having.” – An indecisive diner at any banquet…
This dates from June 1st 2016 and is another insight into local life in this little corner of La France Profonde. By this time my following was snowballing to the extent that the original post (38 views in nine years) even received some likes and comments. FULL HOUSE In a searing indictment of the awfulness…
To be honest, I wasn’t exactly sure what constituted a ‘breakout’ album when I saw this week’s theme on the Song Lyric Sunday schedule. However, I was enlightened by the fact that ‘Rolling Stone’ magazine has an article that defined it, in broad terms, as not a debut release but the first commercial (and critical?)…
the only deadhead in the hameau 